Drainage system



W. J. SNIVELY.

DRAINAGE SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15.1920.

' 1,405,725. Patented Feb. 7, 1922,.

" WHA/5385s UNITED `sifa'rllais PATENT OFFICE.;

niirrLsON JAMES sNIvELY, or xoUNT PLEASANT' TOwNsHIr, wEsTuOnEmNn"COUNTY, rENNsYLvANIaYAssIGNOR or ONE-mm To w. IEwIN OF GREENSBUBG,PENNSYLVANIA.

DRAINAGE SYSTEM.

ASpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILSON J AMES SNIvELY,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mount PleasantTownship, in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Drainage Systems, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved drainage system and apparatus, andmore particularly to an improved method or system of drainin wherebysulphur water and all other objectionable waters that flow from coalmines into the creeks and streams can be drained or gotten rid of, andswamps and marshes drained so as to dry up swampy and marshy land topermit use thereof for agricultural purposes or otherwise, meansbeingprovided to collect the sediment so as to prevent clogging up ofthe system in order that its indefinite use may be insured.

The present invention is also designed to effectively displace the useof ditches or trenches in lowlands where such method of draining isineiicient and in most instances too expensive and impractical, owing tothe inefficient drain and the constant filling thereof with sand carriedin the stream of 'water and due to the relatively impervious characterof the upper soil. In the present invention, use is made of a hole orWell drilled into the ground at a depth required to reach a water level,and preferably a plurality, particularly the third water level, at whichdepth, a lower water stratum or porous earth is reached in which thereis created a suction, such water or air level resulting from asubterranean flow or stream. In this way, the objects of the inventionabove specified, can be effectively accomplished. f l

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my inventionA resides inthe combination and arrangement of parts, reference had to theaccompanying drawings, in w ich:

Figure 1 is a sectional .view illustrating the application of theinvention, and

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of thepsedimentation or detrituschamber.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which like reference charactersdesignate 4corresponding parts throughout the severalviews, and in thecarrying out of the invention, there is placed at or above thesurface 10of the ground a sedimentation or detritus chamber 11 illustrated asformed of cement or the like, of rectangular or other cross secthirdbaflie wall 16 extending to the top 13' and hel ing to support orsustain the same,

except or an openlng or weir 17 cut throu h f the same near the top, inorder that t e water may drain from one side to the other.

The chamber is designed to receive the drain Water through an opening orpipe 18 lpadin through an opening 19 into one side wall o e the chamber,so as to drain the sulphur and other objectionablawater from mines, orwater from swamps, marshes or other places or low ground which isnotproperly drained. In the case of a mine, the pipe leads from the bottomof the mine pit or shaft, forming a mine outfall at one side from whichthe drain is inclined-to the chamber as already described.

After the Water passes through the weir 17, it is discharged into anoutlet or drain pipe 20 engaged through an opening 21 in the bottom of achamber beyond the baille walls at the end remote from the inlet. It

will also be noted that the drain pipe orv opening and the inlet are ata higher level than the outlet end 22 of the pipe 20 owing to theoverflow over the opening or weir 17 being on a level with the inlet 19.Water being led into the detritus or sedimentationt sus off all surfacewater or water above the third water level. At this water or air level,where there is a subterranean flow or steam, a suction is created so asto effectively draw or take up the water flowing into the chamber andoverflowing into the outlet pipe or casing 20. As shown in the drawings,the pipe is driven through the first Water level 23 and through thesecond water level 24, being also cased off from the same so as toprevent injurious action upon the water drawn for drinking purposes.These water levels are also air levels. However, the water is discharged`into the third water level, the sediment being caught in the chamber 11which owing to the removabillty of the top thereof, can be readily andeconomically cleaned without permitting the foreign matter or sedimentto clog up the drain system. Thus, all water in the chamber above thestand pipe or outlet aththe upper end of the latter is discharged mtothe third Water level 25, the well being I drilledto the lowest pointWhile placing the chamber at or slightly below the surface so that thewater surrounding this point is drawn into and down this well. No evileffects can be caused by this method, the

earth forming a natural filter and permitting mine shafts or pits, aswell as swamps and marshes or low ground to be effectively drained, andparticularly getting rid of and avoiding sulphur and other objectionablewater in mines flowing into the creeks and streams. Thus, any waterdrawn from a higher level for drinking purposes will have beenthoroughly filtered and cleansed so that impurities will have beenremoved therefrom. It is of course to be understood that the chamberdoes not serve the purpose of a filter nor do 'the pipe or casing 20,the water being carried directlyvinto the subterranean strata or thirdwater level without circulating through the ground and around thechamber or receptacle or through porous pipes or the like, andespecially carried below the first water level. The casing mu|st beimpervious and in practice, all surface wafer is cased off around thefirst and second water levels and throughout the depth down to the pointat which the solid formations are reached for the discharge, thus makingthe casing doubly secure and permanent against water the same. Inpractice, a grouting of cement 26 around the outside of the iron casing,in the event of the iron casing rusting away, is used, the cementremaining intact and forming the necessary casing to prevent waterfiltering therethrough into the finst or second water levels. In thismanner, water is taken into the hole or well at a very rapid rate andthe particles of coal or other matter that ma be in the water, fiowingfrom the mines and percolating intoother places, will find a lodgingplace in the sedimentation chamber and can be easily removed from thesame. In fact, if necessary, the chamber may be protected from-cold,etc., by building a small house or other arrangement for its protection,thus permitting the device for use in 'reclaiming swamps, bog

lands, not by filtration, but by drawing al water down the holes andcarrying it away so far below the surface that the earth forms a naturalfilter and water drawn from the earth at a higher level will bethoroughly cleansed and purified. In this manner, swampy and boggy landsmay be used for agricultural purposes and roads incidental to the usethereof. v

In view of the foregoing, it is thought that the operation of the devicewill be readily understood, and in view of the simplicity and practicalvalue that it will commend itself to those-skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what claim is: 1. `A method ofdraining water from surface pools,mine shafts,marshes and swamps or thelike, and of preventin pollution of the upper water strata consisting indrilling a hole through the soil to a lower water stratum and porousearth to create a suction, and casing off all surface and other waterabove said stratum.

2. A method of draining water from surface pools,mine shafts,marshes andswamps or the like, and of preventing pollution of the upper waterstrata, consisting in drilling a hole through the soil to a lower waterstratum and porous earth to create a suction, casin off` all surface andpther water above sai stratum, passing said water through a sedimentcha-mber and discharging the overfiow from 'said chamber into said hole.

3. A method of draining water from the surface of land consisting indrilling into the earth through a plurality of water levels to an airlevel forl creating a suction and discharging the water thereinto.

4. A method of draining above the surface and preventing pollution ofthe upper water strata consisting in arranging a sedimentation chamberat the surface, passing the surface or other water through said chamber,arranging the chamber to discharge the overflow therefrom while retaininthe sediment, drilling a hole into the eart to the solid formationforming the third `water level and air level to produce suction, casinoff all surface and other water above sald third water level and airlevel, and leading the overflow into said hole.

5. A method of draining water from the surface of land and of preventingpollution y of the upper water strata consisting in drilling into theearth through a plurality of sof latv

water levels to an air level for creating a said hole and dischargingthe Water therein, suction, and casing said hole and dischargthesediment in the Water being collected ing the Water thereinto; on itsWay to discharge whereby to prevent 10 6. A method of draining Waterfrom the the same from emptying into the subtersurface of landconsisting in drilling into the ranean strata and coagulating to clog upthe earth through a plurality of Water levels to Same. an air level forcreating a suction, encasing WILSON JAMES SNIVELY.

